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Nightly visits to the Homeless

Mission for the Homeless is a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit charitable corporation. We distribute blankets, food, clothing and tents to the homeless seven nights a week in Oakland, California. We visit approximately 120 homeless people every night. Read about the lives of some of these people in the cover story of the August 6, 2014 issue of theEast Bay Express.

Plight of the homeless

The plight of the homeless in Oakland is becoming more evident as the economy has made it more difficult for those “fallen through the cracks”. Often stereotyped as annoying, categorized as worthless, the homeless easily become objects of neglect and abuse. If family, society and church remain uninterested and unconvinced as to the inherent dignity of these people, we continue to recognize them without judgment or condemnation.The question that remains is how to address these issues.

Providing basic necessities, trust, and one on one personal assistance

What does it take to improve a life? Many lack
money, housing, food and personal assistance. Very few programs exist in
Oakland, and there are obstacles in accessing them. Since January of
1999, our outreach has been an ear to homeless people, treating them as
individuals and gaining their trust. This makes them feel that
there is someone in the world that cares about them and values them as
individuals.

Nightly contact since January 1999

We visit homeless people on the street on a one to one basis. We know of
no other shelter or homeless service in Oakland that attempts this type
of outreach. The focus has always been providing basic necessities like
food, blankets and warm clothing. One of our inspirations was a local
organization called Food Not Bombs, http://ebfnb.org/,
which provides a hearty hot meal, like lentils, served daily in
People’s Park area of Berkeley. We ask local Oakland businesses and
their patrons for donations; sometimes bakeries donate bread, and people
have contributed clothing and blankets, sometimes even small bowls of
food. We pack-up the food, clothing and blankets and make them available
that night.